a story

B.C. (Before Colleen). When My parents lived in Athens they bought a house (rather an old house that had been used as a barn for the past 10 years) and started a remodel. When they tore the living room floor and the stairs out nighttime trips to the bathroom were difficult. My mom was pregnant. She had to open the window, climb out, walk across the roof of the porch, down the ladder, in the front door, across a plank spanning what was once the living room floor, through the kitchen and into the bathroom. When my dad had to pee... he climbed out the window, walked across the porch roof and peed off the side of the porch. Priceless.

Let the countdown begin to when I will move back into my house. All that is left... finish painting the kitchen ceiling, put in the kitchen floor, and restrech the upstairs carpet. I have two roommate candidates. Erin Molnar and Jon Kuhns. Who do you think the winner should be?

some comments on the comments.

In regard to the house fixing... I think that we should do a tour. Well, my house is almost finished, so we can bypass my neck of the woods. We can schedule visits and bring out tools right along with us. It occurs to me now that this might be the stupidest idea I have ever had. Continuing on... we can have a painting party at Talya's and a something else to fix party at Lyndsey's and Mae... hurry up and tear out a wall or something so that we can come down there and fix it. Anyhow... it would just be nice for us all to be in the same place at the same time.

Colin. Well, we can't all be rock climbers. Lets me honest... I haven't really been a rock climber since the last ankle incident anyhow. The fact that he is taller than me, quite cute, still in the 20's and doesn't have a significant other are major pluses. Oh no... is he gay? You know how that has been a problem lately. I really don't want another gay guy best friend. Seriously, it is time. I am tired of this best friend role that I have taken on. It is possible though, that I should be looking for someone a little closer to home?

Mae got her wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. Poor Mae. I hope that you are doing alright. It reminds me of when I got mine extracted. I was a sophmorish in high school and had a bit of a cold. Well, then I had the flu. I was in bed immobile for a week and a half. Hence, I asked you if you had a cold. I am sure that all is well. Make contact again when you can talk.

Lastly, I love snow, but enough already.

USS or is it USG?

I voted in the undergraduate student elections this morning. It was relatively satisfying, but also quite frustrating. How am I to make a well informed vote when they have provided me with no information? A small link here or there might have been nice. Instead, I had to compile the many fliers that had been dispersed across campus for the past weeks and try to make an educated guess. Two of the ten votes I am quite confident about... the other eight, feeling a little bit uncertain. I hope that my instincts have not steered me wrong.

There was a vote on a referendum of the Undergraduate Student Senate to change the constitution... bylaws... I don't know what it is called. If passed we will have a new Undergraduate Student Government, and a new position for a senator from each college (this I think is quite a good idea). My beef, which I think that someone should go about addressing immediately, is the titles of the officers. Executive director... why can't they just call it president so that I don't have to be confused and spend ten minutes trying to figure out what I am actually voting for. Politics. It is so not user friendly, and they wonder why so few of us vote.

pointless.

Did you know that about the ICO and NCA? That is the International Coffee Organization and the National Coffee Association. All those years working in the coffee business and it turns out I was walking around fat, dumb, and happy... and apparently completely uninformed. I am currently writing a paper on Fair Trade V. Free Trade in the Coffee Industry, and its social impacts at the civilian level. It is hard, and strange. It seems that everyone knows about Fair Trade but there is no good source information. On the other hand no one knows about TRILS (Trade Related International Labor Standards... the topic of my last such paper) but there is a butt load of information on them. It is a strange world in which we live.

Big news: Colin is potentially a rock climber and he is for sure from Oregon which is outstanding. I think that it was meant to be. If the facts aren't enough... Colin is the male derivative of Colleen. Mere chance, I think not.

happenings.

Talya and Chris blew through town on Saturday. Ellie Cantoni turned 21 and there were festive festivities. There was breakfast eating at Jasper's which once again left me smelling like stale french toast, coffee, and cigarettes (not good, bad). Then there was much studying. It was what one might call a productive weekend, delightful at least.

This morning I have had potentially the best cup of coffee my pallet has ever enjoyed. Flur Azul, Nicaragua... amazing... it really did taste like carmel and milk chocolate. In fact, the Intelligentsia coffee has just baffled me. I am shocked to say, that they have won my heart. It would appear that I am a Starbucks girl no more. It will now become my personal goal to take all of you with me.

Lyndsey, your home improvement photos have inspired me. That wood floor... the joy of finding such a treasure buried under something so ugly... what a feeling. If I didn't have to go to class, I would pick up my tools right now and set to work on my own home improvement. Further... I think that a short visit to bangs is in order. What are your thoughts? Mae, you should try to get in on this.

in brief.

I officially declared my major yesterday. First, I had a very fruitful meeting with the Dean of International Relations, and I was feeling quite good about the recent life decisions that have lead me to this point. I am not a majorer in International Relations (which will forever more be referred to as IR) and a minorer in Political Science (let us call it POLS). My language of choice, in which I must become fluent to graduate, is Russian, and I am currently exploring study abroad programs. The top placer at this point is a summer program out of the University of Arizona which will allow me to go to either St. Petersburg or Moscow. I am also mentally picking through the possibility of graduate school, law school, and the peacecorps.

All this sounds great right... Colleen, finally seems to have found some direct... right... no. I was so encouraged and feeling proud of myself, then I went home. My dad is an ass. He may has well have said, "Colleen, what is wrong with you, are you stupid? This plan of yours is ridiculous, poorly thought, and will get you no where. Study abroad... what a waste of time. Russian... in five years... not one on the planet will speak Russian. If you are going to waste your time becoming proficient in a language it should be Spanish, or at least a language that uses the English alphabet because any language that doesn't will be obsolete in 5-10 years. You have failed me as a child... I thought I raised you better than this, and I am very disappointed in you." Now, I am questioning everything. Maybe I should take Spanish... would it really be that painful for me to give up all of my interest in Eastern Europe and focus on a completely different part of the world? So, I am feeling bad and confused, and I need some support. Usually, my mom acts as a bit of a buffer... she is in North Carolina. I am all alone in the choices I have made. Give me something, please.

to you.

I just spilled coffee all over myself. This is frustrating because I just washed my pj pants last night. So, I was a bit annoyed then I looked down at the many spots and it make me think of Lyndsey spilling coffee on my pjs and blanket over and over again. That made me smile, which was nice and made spilling hot coffee all over my leg worthwhile.

Thinking about spilling coffee and the resent events of the Johnson family got me to thinking about my past physical ailments. Particularly, I thought of the appendix and the cancer which followed. I think that people go a lifetime looking for friends like the three of you. Talya, you made me do something that I wouldn't do for myself, and when I argued, you called my mom to proove to me that you were right. Then you took me to O'Blenness and made sure that they took good care of me. You sat there for my first pap, and held my hand when I felt like I was dying, and they didn't know what was wrong with me. Thank you. Lyndsey, you got yourself out of bed so that Talya could take a test and I wasn't alone. Then there was the enema... it is far beyond the call of friend duty to do that. When it was all over you were there to take me to the follow-up and listen to me talk about how I was really not understanding that he just told me I had had cancer. Thank you. Mae you were there when I slept, when I woke up, when I slept, and when I woke up. You were sanity to my mom... she still talks about you sitting there and talking to her when she hadn't had a break all day, and how nice it was, and how badly she needed it. Many friends would have come into the room, saw that I was sleeping and said, "Ah, well tell her that I was here." You are the type of friend that just sits there, because you know that it isn't about me being awake, it is about you being there. So, you talk to my mom, and laugh at me when I try to talk for two minutes but fall asleep instead. Thank you.

Thank you for being that kind of friend to me. I am sorry when I forget how important you are. I love you.

to be, or not to be... a state

I have been thinking a lot lately about the issue of state (country) verses world and nationalism versus transnationalism. Which is better? I keep going back and forth... the pros and cons are strong on both sides. When it is good, it seems that it is quite good, and when it is bad, it seems to be very bad... on both sides of the issue.

There exits in the world today, and well I suppose that it has probably existed for centuries, a huge gap between the rich and poor of the world. The average age of death here in the states was just lowered because of obesity and obesity related diseases, while in other parts of the world (much of Africa) people are starving, and dying of malnourishment and related issues because they don't have the money to get the necessities to live a healthy life. (The number one killer of children under the age of 5... diarrhea and the dehydration that follows from unclean drinking water). Many believe that if there existed a global government than the divide between the rich and poor could become smaller, or at least millions of people would stop dying because they have no money. On the other hand, one could argue that on the state level there is also a divide between rich and poor, and if this continues to persist on a small scale, then creating a world government is not going to solve the problem on a larger scale.

Genocide has been a much discussed problem in the news as of late. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in Darfur, and the international community has done little to stop it. In the 1990's 1 million people were killed (in a 3 month window) in Rwanda, the rest of the world was very much in the know when the killings were taking place, but nothing was done to stop it. Why is this the case? Sovereignty. The state is a sovereign entity, therefore the international community has no control or say in the actions of the state. If a global government were created, genocide may become a thing of history. Further, abuses of corrupt governments the world over may come to an end if there were a higher power that were ruling over the state. Many believe however that politics and in turn government is corrupt, regardless of the level, so creating a world government would do no one any good in the long run because it too will be corrupt.

Some say that the opinions, cultures, and issues of the states are so different and diverse that a world government could never effectively serve the interests of the international community. Further, there is concern that the interests of the little guy (LDCs) will be overlooked to fulfill the concerns of the stronger states.

What are your thoughts? Really, I could use some insight. What do you have to say on the matter?

house things.

Building a house takes a long time. I spent the morning working on my casa. Every time I go in there, I sigh, shrug my shoulders, and become exasperated by the amount of work that remains. Just when the list seems to be getting shorter, Dad adds something new. These negative feelings are not so good, especially because it makes me feel like I never want to go there again. Then, as I am working on something or finishing up a little project, I smile and think that years from now, when I am sitting on the couch or walking down the stairs, I am going to be able to smile and think, "Hey, I made that." It is the prospect of this happening that encourages me and makes me feel like all of my efforts aren't a waste. So, I will continue my work and maybe someday, I will get to move into the house that I helped build.

Today, I have decided that oil-based paint is of the devil. It is particularly unfriendly when it seems to have found its way to your ear. I suspect that for days I will go about my business with this little bolb for 'leather brown' paint on my left lobe. Who knows, today I hate it, but tomorrow I might have become quite fond of the little guy.

Who knew that you had to shake/stir wood stain? I mean, I knew that it was necessary and all (I learned that in junior high wood shop) but I had no idea how vigorously it needed to be done. I might never have known, except I am pretty sure that when you get to the bottom of the can there is not supposed to be a big pile of stain. It was also rather curious that the further I got into the can the darker the finished looked. So, for your further reference, make sure to shake the can excessively vigorously.

It is amazing how satisfying it is to finish a can of wood stain. Generally, stain is the type of thing that you use a bit of here and there and then the can sits around for ten years before you finally throw it away because it has started to rust into the stain, thus making it unusable. Well, this time, I used the whole thing, and I felt great when I got to the bottom (though stupified by the clump of stain). Really, it was so much better than the feeling one gets from finishing a can of paint. Sadly, the can ended just before the wood that needs stained did, so I am going to have to buy a new can, and it is more than likely that I am not going to finish it. Drat.